They are Pack
by Hairann
Summary: Book 2 in Alpha Pack Mates. A new pack member, blossoming romances, a wedding, completion of a quest, and learning how not only to be a pack, but also to be a family. Find out what else is awaiting the inu-tachi and get answers to some ?s from Alpha.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Summary: Book 2 in the Alpha Pack Mates series. A new pack member, blossoming romances, a wedding, completion of a quest, and learning how not only to be a pack, but also to be a family. Find out what else is awaiting the inu-tachi and get answers to some questions from Alpha. 

Pairings: Inuyasha/Kikyou, Sango/Miroku, Sesshoumaru/Kagome.

Follows: The Anime and movies.

"spoken" 'thought' (translations)

* * *

AN: IMPORTANT PLEASE READ. Okies so everyone knows ahead of time, there is a slight jump in time at the start of this story. It does update you so you don't miss anything important but since each story has a different plot line, it does NOT pick up right where Alpha left off. 

This story will answer most of the questions left open in Alpha. Though it will be about the same amount of chapters, They are Pack will not be anywhere near as long as I am Alpha. Moreover, in fact is a pretty small story, mostly just like an extended epilogue for Alpha to lead you up to the third book, We are Mates.

For those that were wondering why Inuyasha allowed Kagome to be the Alpha in the last book, he has had the chance to grow up a bit and is not as immature as he was in the series, he knows that the group as a whole is going to listen to Kagome more than to him and as Kagome explained it to Kikyou, it really is her pack. Sesshoumaru didn't have any major problems with it because he wasn't completely himself being as he was human. Yes, normally the male is alpha; however, I come from a matriarchal family and decided to have the alpha female in charge.

And while I hopefully have your attention, please read the AN's guys, there is no reason I should get 20 messages asking if there is going to be a sequel when I say there will be in at least five notes. Yes, I could just ignore these questions since they have already been answered, but I like to answer as many questions you reviewers leave as I can.

Anyways enjoy the second book of the Alpha Pack Mates series and as always reviews are welcome, good or bad.

Special thanks to They are Pack's betas PockyThief, TheMikoShivae and Shannon.

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Recap from I am Alpha: After Kagome's father escaped from jail and killed her okaa-san and jii-chan, she brought Souta back to the past with Inuyasha's rosary. Inuyasha announced he would be taking Kikyou as his mate soon. The group, along with Sesshoumaru and Kouga, destroyed Naraku by Kagome re-shattering the jewel. After the battle, she let Kagura and Kanna go since Kagura had let her pass with Rin during the battle. As they are traveling to recollect the jewel, they learn Sesshoumaru has been cursed to become human and ended up joining the group to protect Rin. 

They meet a sorceress named Aki that can turn him back into a demon and start to gather the items he needs. Kouga shows up, still trying to get Kagome to be his mate and Ayame gets tired of waiting around for him and heads back to her den. Miroku officially proposes to Sango, who now has Kohaku back minus the memories of everything he did. Sesshoumaru and Kagome kiss at the hot springs but she stops it since she doesn't think it was right while he was human.

The group has a lot of problems with Kikyou trying to take charge and getting rid of Kagome but she finally starts trying to be a part of the group and Kagome ends up giving her the shards to hold onto. After gathering all the ingredients Sesshoumaru needs, he heads off to Aki to turn back into a demon and ends up being told of a problem needing him in the West. As he leaves the group, Sesshoumaru says 'an inu always returns to his pack'.

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Prologue 

It has been six months since Sesshoumaru left the group after being called back to the West, and although we haven't seen him once in that time, every so often a messenger would show up to talk to Jaken. Jaken would never tell us what was going on, but I wasn't really sure the messenger was telling him either.

However, it wasn't so bad. The rest of the group was getting along great and the kids loved having Rin around, so everything was working out. And Jaken really isn't that bad once you get to know him a bit. Well, at least when he's not putting down humans and grumbling about everything. You wouldn't think so just looking at him, but he's really good with kids.

About two months ago, we hit a major breakthrough with the shard hunting. It seems someone else was collecting them at the same time as us, only this time it was a monk. Once he learned who we were, he was happy to give us almost half of the jewel. Within a month and a half, we were down to just needing Kouga's and Kohaku's.

Kouga, of course, was easy enough to track down and gave his two up without a fight, oddly enough not calling me 'his woman' once during the meeting and he didn't even fight with Inuyasha. But then again, he did seem a bit distracted. We stayed at his den for a week, celebrating the near completion of the jewel since it was only one shard shy now, before returning to the village.

All that was left was Kohaku's shard and none of us were looking forward to collecting that one. But Sango took it in stride and had everything ready to go to head back to her village. She had decided to bury Kohaku there since it was where she felt he belonged. The day we were to take it out, she spent the entire day with him off by themselves explaining what was going on.

Kohaku took it a lot better than any of us thought he would and even sat down in front of me when it was time without any prompting. He trusted Sango's judgment so much, even without knowing everything behind it. She didn't tell him what he had done - just that the shard was keeping him alive and it was for the good of everyone for the jewel to be whole again so we could wish it away.

We were all so ready to start the funeral, and it wasn't even needed. Apparently Kohaku had lived long enough that everything had the chance to heal and was no longer living because of the shard. It was just sitting there dormant. So after it was removed and added to the now complete Shikon no Tama, we had a week long celebration, both for the jewel and Kohaku.

This brought us to our next problem. Not a single one of us could come up with a wish that was completely selfless and wouldn't risk re-tainting the jewel. With the jewel being whole again, it seemed to attract even more demons after its power and it was soon obvious to us that the village wouldn't be safe holding a beacon like that in Kaede's hut.

So we decided to just hold onto it for now and built a small village of our own around the well, I often wonder if this was the original shrine that was there. It wasn't anything big, a one room hut for Sango and Miroku, one for Inuyasha and Kikyou, and a three room hut for me and the kids. A bedroom for the girls, one for the boys and then a living room for the whole group.

Though Shippo seemed to stay in my room more than in the room for the boys, it worked out okay since there were only Rin and I in that room. Souta and Kohaku got along great and could normally be found in the yard playing one game or another, with Shippo and Rin normally joining in. They could even get Jaken interested at times and it was fun to watch the little toad run around trying to keep up with the ball.

Sango and Miroku continued to work on their wedding plans and we were getting close to the date. She had originally wanted a spring wedding but wanted to wait until we had finished the jewel and that put us in the summer. But the fields were still full of flowers and so Sango was happy to have a July wedding.

Kikyou was doing much better in the group. In fact, about a month and a half after I had given her the shards to hold onto, she regained the ability to purify the shards. Guess she was just letting herself become too tainted to be able to do it before, but since she was getting along with us, the problem seemed to fix itself.

On one of my trips to the future I found that my aunt had taken over the shrine and was working on trying to get it back up and running. She was a shrine maiden when she was younger, so she already knew everything she needed to do. She just had to have me sign some papers since it seems the shrine went into my name if anything ever happened to okaa-san and jii-chan.

When I first found out that she was living at the shrine I asked Souta if he wanted to go back but seems he had grown fond of living in the past and wanted to stay here with us. I was both happy and scared at the same time, but thankfully Inuyasha and Sango decided to start training him with a sword so he would be able to protect himself better.

Poor Miroku. He was hoping he could train him as a monk, thinking that since I was a miko that he would have some powers as well, but he had not a one. Then again, I'm not really sure if jii-chan ever had any either. I'm guessing the only reason I do was because of my past life, as Kikyou, and the jewel.

But I am really glad he decided to stay in the past with us. It was only a matter of time until we could wish the jewel away and then I would have no way to come back if I went through the well to the future. I had long ago decided to stay in the past since, other than Souta; there wasn't anything for me in our time.

So it worked out much better this way. During the night, Inuyasha and I began sneaking stuff from the shrine to our new huts so when the time came, we wouldn't have to worry about not being able to go back into the future for supplies. I ended up raiding the shrine's library and local bookstores for any medical books for how to make present day medicine with 500 years-old ingredients.

And of course, I had to learn how to make ramen, or as close as I could get to it, by hand to keep Inuyasha happy. We ended up bringing Buyo back to live at the shrine, which made my aunt happy since she was currently running the shrine by herself. We even explained everything, including the traveling through time to her and she took it rather well.

I gave her a couple of coins to sell to the coin dealer in case she ever needed money for the shrine. And other than a couple of supply runs and going there to visit her and Ayumi, we were pretty much done with going to the future. We had everything we needed including some photos of the family.

I was worried about what might happen if some of this stuff was found in the future dating 500 years so I instructed Inuyasha to make sure, that everything that would last a long time and be out of place, was destroyed after Souta and I died. He of course, didn't like participating in that conversation but nonetheless agreed.

* * *

It was about an hour after lunch and Jaken had taken the kids down to a nearby river to cool off from the heat wave we were having. Sango and Miroku were in the village working on wedding plans with Kaede. Not really sure where Inuyasha and Kikyou were, but since I was sitting outside near our little village with the Shikon jewel on me, they couldn't be that far away. 

Since it's completion and the increase of demon attacks, I have not been left alone for even a second. Completely understandable and annoying at the same time, but at least they had stopped hovering over me and were giving me a little space now. It gave me some quiet time to study herbs and medicine, which was exactly what I was doing when I was interrupted by the presence of an incoming demon.

Already used to having them show up out of no where, I merely put the book down and picked up my bow that I had sat down next to me. Just as I had taken aim toward the rustling bushes, a blur flew out of them and headed straight toward me. Faster than I could see, the blur rushed around behind me, but instead of attacking me, it whispered, "Help me."

Turning to glance over my shoulder at the now motionless demon, I could see that he was still a young pup, younger than Rin by the looks of it. He had waist length red hair and silver eyes. Judging by his clothes I would say who ever this pup was, that he was from a well off family, if the silk they were made from was any indication.

"Is someone after you?" I questioned as I turned around to face him fully as I lowered my bow. He nodded his head as he glanced around, eyes darting between bushes. Whether he was hearing things I could not or he was just paranoid, I haven't the foggiest.

"He's trying to kill me," he told me as he glanced back at me with frightened eyes. I decided now would be a good time to yell for Inuyasha since the pup didn't look like he would be scared easily and if he was worried, I probably should be too. However, a deep voice that I hadn't heard in six months stopped me before I could.

"Hand him over, miko-san," Sesshoumaru called out from behind me startling me and causing me to jump. As I glanced over my shoulder at him, I caught the pup using my body to hide himself from Sesshoumaru's view.

"Why are you after him, Lord Sesshoumaru?" I inquired, doubting Sesshoumaru would attack a demon pup without good reason and couldn't, for the life of me, come up with a reason for him to.

"It is none of your concern. You will hand him over to this Sesshoumaru, miko-san," Sesshoumaru replied instead of answering my question. I fought the urge to roll my eyes, surely he knows me better than that by now and would know I wasn't about to hand the scared pup over.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, now you know I'm not going to do that. He is scared of you and has asked for my help. Maybe if you explain what is going on, we can figure this out. Preferably without scaring the pup anymore or getting myself killed for annoying you," I suggested as I sent him a smile hoping the six months apart didn't change his mind about seeing us as pack.

"Miko-san, it isn't any of your business and this Sesshoumaru is not about to hurt the pup. This Sesshoumaru would rather not have to force you to hand him over," he warned as he kept his amber eyes on me and never once tried to see the pup standing behind me shaking.

"Well, Lord Sesshoumaru, he seems to think you are trying to kill him. I doubt that you would try to kill a pup, or that he would get away from you if you were, but I also know how intimidating you can be. I hate to go against you, Lord Sesshoumaru. You are an ally and a friend, but I would sooner go against you than myself. It would go against everything I am to hand over a scared pup to a demon lord who is known as being a ruthless killer."

"Again, I do not believe you would kill the pup or even harm him. He, however, does and I am not turning over a child, who is scared to death, to the one they are scared of. So either we talk about this and you explain what is going on, or we have a problem."

"Miko-san, ally or not, this Sesshoumaru can and will kill you if you keep me from what is mine," Sesshoumaru warned, his threat seeming to lack the venom it normally held, as his amber eyes tried to pierce my own.

"What do you mean, 'what is yours', Lord Sesshoumaru?" I questioned, deciding there just wasn't something right about this whole thing. It just didn't make any sense for Sesshoumaru to be chasing after a pup, whether he intended to kill him or not.

"He is this Sesshoumaru's son," Sesshoumaru replied after a slight sigh.

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Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames. 


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Summary: Book 2 in the Alpha Pack Mates series. A new pack member, blossoming romances, a wedding, completion of a quest, and learning how not only to be a pack, but also to be a family. Find out what else is awaiting the inu-tachi and get answers to some questions from Alpha.

Pairings: Inuyasha/Kikyou, Sango/Miroku, Sesshoumaru/Kagome.

Follows: The Anime and movies.

"spoken" 'thought'

* * *

AN: It has been brought to my attention that Sesshoumaru already having a child has become cliché and so I apologize for using it as I was not aware it was. I would change it, however, to do so I would have to re-figure the layout for this story which is almost done with the exception of the epilogue and rethink the entire storyline for the third book. Seeing as I am in no mood to do that, nor do I have the time, it will just have to stay as one of the clichés that slipped in unaware.

I would like to thank Kyuthe for his/her very heartwarming review on a single spark. While I love all of the reviews I get, good or bad, it's reviews like this that really make it feel worth it. Thank you again for your amazing review and this chapter is dedicated to you.

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief , TheMikoShivae and Kiyota .

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Chapter 1

"Your son?" I questioned, positive that I had heard the demon lord incorrectly, though judging by his nod, I had not. "Wow, I didn't know you had a son, Lord Sesshoumaru. I wasn't even aware you had a mate," I continued, now feeling even more stupid for the way I had acted around him at the hot springs over six months ago.

"This Sesshoumaru does not have a mate," he replied and he must have been able to tell that I was now extremely confused because he continued. "When a lord hits his 200th mark of ruling and does not have an heir, it is required that he produces one."

"Wait, but if you don't have a mate how did you produce an heir?" I questioned before I could stop myself, realizing how stupid that sounded. Considering the time I'm from, it should have been obvious.

"This Sesshoumaru merely found a demoness to rut in order to produce an heir," Sesshoumaru explained and I prayed he was unable to see the blush that was now bound to be covering my face, if the heat radiating from it was any indication.

"Right. But if he's your son, then why was he running from you, sure you were going to kill him?" I inquired as I glanced over my shoulder at the pup that was still shivering behind me before turning my gaze back to the demon lord standing in front of me.

"She turned him against this Sesshoumaru when she didn't get her way," he told me and I nodded for him to continue. With a barely audible sigh he did. "She threatened to keep this Sesshoumaru's heir from him if he did not mate her. I'm sure you remember, miko-san, how well that worked the last time."

"Yeah." I replied nodding as I thought back to the conversation we had about the snake demoness who had cursed him to become human. "I still don't understand. Little one, why are you running from your father?" I questioned as I turned and glanced down at his shivering form.

"He killed okaa-san," (mother) he whispered fearfully as he once again moved behind me, since when I turned I had inadvertently placed him back within Sesshoumaru's gaze. Turning my gaze back to Sesshoumaru, I was shocked when he did not deny it. I shouldn't have been surprised since he had done the same to the snake demoness, but this was the mother of his son.

"She left this Sesshoumaru no choice. When denied and warned that if she tried anything like this again, this Sesshoumaru would refuse her access to the pup as she threatened to do, she attacked. This Sesshoumaru was merely defending himself," Sesshoumaru explained before I had the chance to question him further.

"This was what called you back to the west six months ago?" I questioned after thinking for a moment. He gave a slight nod and I understood why he hadn't told us what was happening during this time. I wouldn't have wanted to go around telling others of my personal problems either. "What kind of demoness was she?" I wondered, remembering I couldn't figure out what the pup was, though some of his features seemed familiar.

"A kitsune," (fox) he replied and I glanced back at the pup and shook my head at not being able to figure it out. His red hair was the same color as Shippo's, though silkier and straighter like Sesshoumaru's rather than curly and frizzy like Shippo's. The silver eyes threw me off a bit, seeing as I had never met a demon with silver eyes before.

The more I looked the pup over, the more I couldn't understand why I didn't realize who's he was in the first place. Other than the color, he had Sesshoumaru's eyes and although smaller, his ears were identical. Even had Sesshoumaru's pointed jaw and on closer inspection, I could see the slightest, pale blue crescent moon adorning his forehead.

Taking another glance at his clothes, which I already knew to be silk, I was amazed at how much they resembled Sesshoumaru's and wanted to smack myself for not noticing it before. The sleeves and collar of his haori had the same honeycomb pattern, only with his, the majority was red while Sesshoumaru's was mostly white.

His hakama was red and his obi was silver and red, but in the same pattern as Sesshoumaru's blue and yellow one. Looking the pup over I could easily believe that if you changed his hair and eye color, I could easily be looking at Sesshoumaru as a child. Shaking my head to clear the thoughts of how weird that would be, I realized I didn't know the pup's name. "What's your name, little one?"

"Daichi," (great first son) he replied barely above a whisper and glanced up at me strangely as I held my hand out to him.

"I'm Kagome. It's nice to meet you Daichi," I told him with a smile before I took his hand in mine and gave it a small shake. After releasing his hand, I patted him on top of his head before turning back around to the demon lord, who seemed to be getting annoyed that we were ignoring him.

"I still don't understand something, Lord Sesshoumaru. While kitsune (fox) are known to be tricksters, they aren't really known to be vindictive. I just don't understand why a kitsune would do something that seems so against their nature."

"Pups and adult females are two completely different things, miko-san. And it was mostly at the influence of her father. He has been wanting this Sesshoumaru's land since the time of his father, and I had figured he would calm after the alliance was made. This Sesshoumaru appears to have been wrong."

Before I had the chance to question him further, he turned to gaze over my shoulder and as I turned as well, I spotted Inuyasha and Kikyou standing behind me. Inuyasha sniffed the air a few times glancing at the pup before turning his gaze to Sesshoumaru. "Why didn't you tell me I had a nephew?" he demanded glaring at his half-brother.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes for a moment and I was pretty sure had it been anyone else, they would be screaming by now. After a moment, he opened his eyes and glanced back over at his half-brother. "This Sesshoumaru told no one of the pup to ensure his safety. As this Sesshoumaru's heir, he is likely to be hunted. If this Sesshoumaru had wished to tell you, he would have been unable to. You were released from the tree shortly before his birth and any time this Sesshoumaru came near, we fought."

"Why don't we all sit down and I'll make some tea," I suggested when I noticed the others were making their way back into the camp. "Daichi, why don't you go play with the other kids," I told him with a smile as I glanced behind me. He seemed to think about it for a moment before glancing toward his father, nodding his head and heading off toward the others.

"Come on, I think tea would do us all some good," I told the others with a smile as I made my way over to the small fire we had set up outside of the huts since it was too hot to have one inside. Sitting down, I began preparing the water for the tea as the other adults sat down around me.

"What do you plan to do now, Lord Sesshoumaru?" I inquired, ignoring the questioning looks the others were sending me. If they wanted to know what was going on they would have to ask him since it was not my place to tell them.

"This Sesshoumaru will stay here for now since the pup would just run again if brought back to the den," Sesshoumaru replied as he glanced over at his son, who was now playing with Souta and Kohaku as if they were long lost friends.

"Can someone explain what is going on?" Sango demanded after a few moments of silence and I glanced over at Sesshoumaru to see if he was going to. After a barely audible sigh, he nodded toward me and the others glanced back at me in question. As I passed out the tea, now that it was ready, I began explaining to the others what I had learned.

"Long story short, Daichi," I began gesturing to the pup, "is Lord Sesshoumaru's son. After a disagreement with his mother, in which she attacked Sesshoumaru, she was killed, and Daichi ran. He found me a little while ago, afraid Lord Sesshoumaru was going to kill him. He was conceived in secret to protect him and his mother tried to turn him against Lord Sesshoumaru when she was denied more than what was originally agreed upon, apparently at the request of her father. Now you know everything I know."

"Oh, I see, the 200th year clause," Sango said after a moment startling the rest of us. "I should have thought about that. It's one of the first thing slayers learn, to stay away from any unmated lord at their 200th year of ruling as they might see it as a threat to their heir and are more prone to attack. See, any lord who reaches his 200th year and still has yet to take a mate is required to produce an heir with a non-mated demoness. Normally resulting in alliances and treaties. If he's now trying to get you to give them more than what was originally agreed upon, he has a major stain on his honor and will most likely come after you to try and clear it." Sango explained to the rest of us.

"But how would him coming after Lord Sesshoumaru clear it, wouldn't that only make it worse?" I wondered, not for the first time completely confused when it came to demon customs and laws.

"Well an honorable man, or demon in this case, would challenge Sesshoumaru to a fair fight, in which if he wins, he is the better demon and therefore well in his rights to ask for more. However, since he's already tried to go through his daughter to get more, I doubt he is honorable at all and will more than likely try to kill Sesshoumaru. If not all out declare war on him and the West. This way it looks like he was the one that was wronged, while Sesshoumaru was the dishonorable one.

"While he doesn't get his honor back truthfully, everyone will believe he never lost it in the first place. Considering his past actions, I would not be surprised if he tried to go through your son to get to you as well. He won't try to kill him, seeing as if you die and he has your heir, he can take your place as lord until your son comes of age. More than likely he will try to further turn your son against you and bring him to his side. My advice would to be even more weary of who you allow around your son then you already are."

"That was already this Sesshoumaru's intentions. This Sesshoumaru was already planning to bring the pup here since it is not yet known the identity of those at the den who were under his mother's influence. Once again, this Sesshoumaru is requiring your help." The last part was said so softly that I wasn't sure if he was still speaking to us or was berating himself.

"That's what packs are for right?" I inquired with a smile as I got his attention back. He seemed to think about it for a moment before giving a slight nod of his head. "Good. Now that that is all settled, I think it's time I started dinner."

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames. 


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Summary: Book 2 in the Alpha Pack Mates series. A new pack member, blossoming romances, a wedding, completion of a quest, and learning how not only to be a pack, but also to be a family. Find out what else is awaiting the inu-tachi and get answers to some questions from Alpha. 

Pairings: Inuyasha/Kikyou, Sango/Miroku, Sesshoumaru/Kagome.

Follows: The Anime and movies.

"spoken" 'thought' (translations)

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief , TheMikoShivae and Kiyota .

* * *

Chapter 2 

It was a few hours after dinner and already the children had been put to bed. I remained outside at the campfire, seeing as I was not ready to sleep and was afraid I would end up keeping Rin and Shippo awake. Having nothing else to do, I merely stoked the fire while events from the day ran through my mind.

It really was a lot to take in and I had to wonder how the others could seem so calm about it all. Or perhaps they were like me and just hiding it well. Inside, I was anything but calm. Millions of questions ran through my mind, some I already had the answers to but still didn't understand. Others, I didn't think it was my place to ask.

Sighing, I turned one of the logs over in the fire to help the other side catch, before laying the stick I had been using down next to me. Hearing a noise behind me, I glanced up to find Sesshoumaru walking toward me. I gave him a quick smile before turning my attention back to the fire.

"Why are you still up, miko-san?" he questioned as he sat down next to me, the silk of his clothing rustling as he did.

"Not ready to go to bed and I didn't want to keep the kids up," I explained to him without taking my eyes off the fire. Even more so than I had been at the hot springs, I was confused about how the demon lord beside me was making me feel. No, that's not completely true.

I have had crushes before, Inuyasha being one of them, and I knew how I felt about him. I could easily understand why I would develop a crush on him. I mean, the guy is gorgeous, smart, and an amazing fighter. Watching him battle was more like watching some kind of graceful dance rather than watching someone fight. Now Inuyasha, he fought like that. All bronze with just a tad of brains.

But not Sesshoumaru. No, his fighting style was graceful and poised. Each move thought out and executed perfectly. No second guessing, no pausing to figure out what was next. Just one move flowing into the next, as if they were all just one long move. I had been watching him fight ever since that first day I met him, and found myself only more impressed with every battle.

Even with his cold and emotionless personality, it still wasn't hard to see why I would begin to like this particular demon. No, what I cannot seem to figure out is why it seems like he wants me too. Maybe I'm just thinking too much into it. I mean, he was a human at the time, and that was the whole reason I put an end to things before they could even begin.

He may see me as an ally and as pack, but nothing more than that. I'm nothing more than a human to him. That's got to be it. I'm just thinking into it too much because I want him to be hoping I have feelings for him. Well, no more of that. I had my fill of unrequited love with Inuyasha. The last thing I need is to start pinning after his half-brother.

"Did you mean what you had said, miko-san?" Sesshoumaru inquired, drawing my attention back to reality and out of my mind. Glancing over at him in question, I watched as the firelight danced in his amber depths. I was so mesmerized by his gaze that I completely forgot he had asked me a question.

"Huh?" I wondered intelligently before shaking my head and trying again. "Did I mean what?" The only thing I could remember saying since he had sat beside me was that I didn't want to keep the kids up. I didn't say anything I was supposed to be thinking out loud, did I? Kami I hope not.

"At the hot springs, miko-san. You told this Sesshoumaru that if he still feels the same once he's back to being a demon, we could 'give it a go'," he replied, the futuristic saying sounding strange coming from him. "Did you really mean this, or were you merely trying to get away from this Sesshoumaru?"

"Oh, no, I meant it," I told him before I could stop myself. Since when did I start saying so many things without thinking before hand? It had to be this demon's fault. I didn't do that before he showed up in my life. Why can't I just go back to mumbling incoherently, blushing and running away like I used to? It would be nice right about now.

Turning my gaze back to the fire, I waited for him to laugh, mock, or at least get up and walk away. None of that happened. Instead I felt his fingers resting on my cheek as he turned me so I was once again facing him. Licking my suddenly dry lips, I glanced up into his eyes and watched as they followed the action before gazing back into my own.

"What are you doing, Lord Sesshoumaru?" I questioned, finding it hard to breath even as I felt his hot breathe cascading over my lips. Mirth flashed quickly in his amber orbs and I could swear there was a slight tilt of his lips for a moment but I was too lost in his eyes to really pay any attention to it.

"Kissing you, Kagome," Sesshoumaru replied softly as he tilted his head, bringing his lips closer to my own.

"Oh. Okay," I mumbled but a moment before his soft lips brushed against my own. He pulled back slightly to look into my eyes and moved back in, pressing his lips against mine again, only more firmly this time. Closing my eyes, I leaned into this kiss as I felt his lips begin to move against my own and couldn't prevent the soft moan that escaped.

As I felt him pull back, I opened my eyes and noticed his gaze was no longer on me, but looking off to the side. Following his gaze, I found Inuyasha standing about ten feet from us with an eyebrow raised in question. He looked like he was about to speak, before shaking his head. "So don't want to know," he decided as he turned and started back toward his hut.

I couldn't help it, the moment he was out of sight, I began laughing. Soon I was laughing so hard that I fell off the log I had been sitting on and decided to just remain on the ground. "Well, that was interesting," I decided when I finally got my giggles under control and glanced back up at Sesshoumaru.

"I should probably get some sleep. I'm supposed to help Sango with some last minute wedding plans in the morning. Do you need anything before I go, Lord Sesshoumaru?" I questioned after I had stood up and brushed the dirt off of my miko garb.

"You may drop the title, Kagome," Sesshoumaru told me as he gazed up at me from his seat on the log. "And this Sesshoumaru has all he will need for the night. Get some sleep," he assured with a slight nod of his head, causing some of his white locks to fall over his shoulder.

"Alright. Good night, Sesshoumaru," I told him with a quick smile, before turning and heading toward my hut, lest he see the blush that had formed on my cheeks.

"Good night, Kagome," he called after me softly and I hurried into my hut before his voice could turn my knees into jell-o. As I entered my hut, I leaned up against the wall and tried to get my breathing back in order. Boy, could that demon leave a girl breathless with just one kiss.

* * *

Sighing, I pushed away from the wall and made my way over to the room the boys and Jaken slept in. Glancing around to check on them as I did every night, I caught Jaken looking at me in question. Raising a finger over my lips to keep him silent, I smiled before turning to look at the boys.

My eyes rested on Kohaku's silent form before turning toward Souta. I gave the sleeping figures a quick smile before glancing around to find the newest addition. I found him sitting in the corner, glancing around at the others, as though they would attack him at any moment.

Shaking my head, I walked quietly into the room, both to make sure I didn't wake the others and so I wouldn't scare him. "Daichi?" I whispered softly to him and watched as his gaze quickly fell on my form. "Why are you still awake?"

"I do not trust them," he told me quickly before glaring once again at the others, though it was lost on all but Jaken since they were sleeping.

"Do you trust me?" I questioned as I knelt down next to him. He turned his gaze back to me and seemed to study me for a moment before giving me a quick nod of his head. "Would you like to sleep in my room for tonight? Rin and Shippo are already in there, but they're asleep so they won't bother you."

After a moment he gave me another quick nod and I held out my arms to him. He quickly jumped into my arms and wrapped his legs around my waist. As I turned and headed back out of the room, I sent Jaken a quick smile, which he nodded to before closing his eyes.

Once I had left the boys' room, I turned and walked into the small room I shared with Rin and Shippo. Already I could hear the soft snores coming from the kitsune (fox) and knew I would have to be careful not to wake him when I climbed into the futon with him.

It was not easy, but somehow, I managed to lie down while holding onto Daichi and not wake up Shippo. Laying him down next to me, I covered the three of us up and busied myself with staring up at the ceiling while waiting for Daichi to fall asleep.

After a few minutes I could hear his breathing even out and allowed my eyes to close. I knew I should get some sleep since tomorrow would come far too soon, but I couldn't help but think on the events of the day. Somehow, in the back of my mind, I knew that things were not going to calm down for at least a few weeks to come.

You'd think now that the Shikon no Tama was whole again, life would become easier, that perhaps I would be given a break, but I somehow doubted it would. There was always something happening to keep me on my toes. And now I had Sesshoumaru's child as well as whatever it was happening with Sesshoumaru and I to deal with.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames. 


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Summary: Book 2 in the Alpha Pack Mates series. A new pack member, blossoming romances, a wedding, completion of a quest, and learning how not only to be a pack, but also to be a family. Find out what else is awaiting the inu-tachi and get answers to some questions from Alpha.

Pairings: Inuyasha/Kikyou, Sango/Miroku, Sesshoumaru/Kagome.

Follows: The Anime and movies.

"spoken" 'thought' (translations)

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief , TheMikoShivae and Kiyota .

* * *

Chapter 3

The next two days passed by so quickly that I almost missed them completely. I was so wrapped up in helping Sango with her last minute wedding plans that I forgot about everything else that was going on around me.

It was probably a good idea I was too busy to allow my mind to wander. I needed my full attention on Sango and I knew it wouldn't be if I began to think about Sesshoumaru or Daichi. And now with the last few arrangements in place, we were all ready and waiting for the ceremony.

Sango had decided that she wanted to be married as the sun was rising, so we were all up hours before the sun would be upon us. Getting ready, and, for Inuyasha and I, helping the bride and groom to get dressed. It seemed so weird to be standing here on their wedding day, when I had been there since the beginning.

I should be used to it, I know, but it's strange looking back over the years and knowing I was there every step of the way. The first time they met, the two of them denying having any feelings for the other while it was obvious to the rest of us, when Miroku first talked to her about getting married when it was all said and done. Even when he formally proposed and she accepted.

I had been there for everything. I watched these two go from being wary around each other, to friends, to trusting each other with their lives, to being in love. Like reading a fairy tale, knowing without a doubt it would end in a happy note, but at the same time, both surprised and ecstatic, to see it first hand. Our own little Feudal fairy tale.

As I watched the ceremony taking place in front of me, I couldn't stop my breath from catching in my throat when the sun rose behind them, basking them in an unearthly light. The golden rays of the sun only furthered to make Sango more beautiful and judging by the look in Miroku's eyes, he thought so as well.

Being careful not to disturb any one else, I quickly snapped some pictures with the disposable camera I had brought back on a recent trip to the future. Moving around, I continued getting shots at different angles, all the while thinking to myself that if I didn't know any better I would have thought they were Kami.

By the end of the ceremony I had run out of film in this camera, after the kiss, thankfully, but I wasn't too worried since I had gotten two more cameras for the reception. I planned on putting them all in an album for their wedding gift. That along with the one I had already made for them, filled with pictures of the two of them over the years.

I watched as everyone began congratulating them before making my way over and pulling them both into a warm embrace. As much as I tried, I couldn't prevent the tears from slowly making their way down my cheeks. The first of my pack were married. One couple down, one to go.

* * *

I was helping to clean up the clearing after the reception, the bride and groom having already disappeared into their hut a while ago. I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face, but than again, I wasn't really trying either. As I reached down to pick up another piece of trash, I saw Inuyasha making his way over toward me.

"Can we talk, Kagome?" he questioned when he stopped in front of me. Deciding it must be serious if he's using my name and I wasn't in trouble, I gave him a smile before nodding my head. After a moment he turned and started out of the clearing, clearly, he didn't want the others to overhear.

Setting the trash bag down, I turned and followed after him. We were a few minutes away from the clearing when he finally stopped and sat down on a fallen log. Looking up at me, he patted the seat next to him and waited until I had sat down before he started talking again.

"I need to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me, imouto-chan. Do you think Kikyou has proven herself as a member of the pack yet?" he questioned as he turned to me, his most serious expression visible on his face.

"I think Kikyou is doing really well. She's gotten a lot better, especially over the last six months or so. She's now doing more than just what is asked of her. She is willing to help out the rest of the pack without expecting anything out of it. And she didn't betray our trust when she had the jewel. I trust her now. Now tell me, anija-chan, what is this all about?"

"I want to take Kikyou as my mate," Inuyasha replied after a few moments of silence.

"I know. You told me that a long time ago," I reminded him, a bit confused as to where this was going. Truthfully, I should have figured it out, but I guess I was just tired, understandable considering how early I had gotten up.

"No, imouto-chan, I mean I want to take her as my mate now," he elaborated causing me to want to smack myself for not figuring that out myself.

"Oh, anija-chan, that's great. I'm so happy for you!" I cried as I threw myself into his arms and pulled him into a tight embrace. "Oh, can you wait until I get back?" I questioned as I remembered something I had set up months ago, but had forgotten about due to all the wedding plans.

"Sure," he replied slightly unsure. I gave him a bright smile as I stood and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before I turned and ran back to our little village. I knew Inuyasha had to be confused, but if I explained everything I would ruin the surprise.

As I made my way back into the clearing I quickly spotted Sesshoumaru and rushed over to him. "Sesshoumaru, can I borrow Ah-Un for a while?" I requested as I sent him my biggest smile, never know when it might actually work on the demon lord.

"Yes," he replied, a little wary of me. What was with people acting like that simply because I was a little hyper? I wasn't really that bad was I?

"Thanks," I called over my shoulder as I made my way to the two-headed dragon and after telling him I needed a lift, I climbed onto his back. Normally I would have borrowed Kirara but I didn't want to disturb Sango and Miroku to ask her for permission.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Be good for Inuyasha," I told the children with a smile a moment before Ah-Un lifted off into the sky. I could see Inuyasha's confused expression as he came into the clearing, but he would understand soon enough so I wasn't too worried about it.

* * *

As soon as we had gotten out of ear-shot of the others, I had told Ah-Un where to go and sat back to enjoy what I knew would be a long flight. Definitely faster than walking, but considering how far we were away from my destination I knew I was looking at a few hours at the least. I guess I feel asleep though, since before I knew it, Ah-Un was landing.

"It's ready, come inside," my host greeted as I dismounted before following into the hut. "You understand the consequences of using this correct?" At my nod, my host continued, "Very well. This will do everything you ask of it to. There should be no side effects for the user."

"Thank you very much, Aki-sama," I replied with a graceful bow to the sorceress in front of me before taking the vial from her hand. "I should get back, I kind of ran out without really explaining what was going on and I don't want the others to worry," I told her with a smile as I bowed once again before turning and heading out of the hut.

"Remember, miko-sama, there is no undoing this. Once the potion is consumed, you will forever be cut off from the missing part of your soul. Never will you be able to reclaim it, yet you will always feel it's absence as you do now," Aki warned as she followed me out and watched as I re-mounted Ah-Un.

"I know," I assured her with a smile before turning to Ah-Un and letting him know I was ready to go home. With one more slight bow to Aki, I held on as the dragon took to the sky and began heading back to our village. I didn't worry too much over Aki's warning, I had known about it since the beginning and I had no intention of trying to get the last piece of my soul back anyways.

* * *

As soon as we had landed in the clearing near the well, I could see those that were still awake, looking at me, their confusion clearly visible in their eyes. Ignoring them, I walked over to where Kikyou was sitting with Inuyasha and smiled at her. "Come with me," I instructed as I turned and started for their hut.

Behind me I could hear Kikyou question Inuyasha and, after a moment, seeing he had no idea what was going on either, she followed along behind me. Soon as we were both inside, I closed the door before turning around to her and pulling the vial out of my pocket.

"Drink this," I instructed as I held it up for her to take. She stared at it for a moment before glancing up at me in question. "I am your alpha, Kikyou. You've got to learn to trust me at some point. I would never do anything that endangered the pack, and that includes you," I assured her with a smile as I placed the vial in her hand.

She stared a me for a moment longer before nodding her head and downing the contents after uncorking the vial. She stood still for a moment with a sour face, apparently the liquid hadn't tasted very good, before clenching her chest.

She gazed back up a me and for the first time since I had met her, I saw real fear in her eyes. "Just relax Kikyou," I whispered softly as I pulled her into my arms and lowered us both to the ground. I gasped as I felt the last ties to the part of my soul she held onto, sever.

"What...?" she began, only to stop part way through when another wave of pain hit her. I just shh'ed her as I ran my fingers through her hair. I had thought about telling her what it would do beforehand, but decided against it since, if she had changed as much as I thought she did, she wouldn't want to do this for my sake.

And I wanted nothing more than to give this gift to both her and Inuyasha. Glancing down at the woman in my arms, I could see her breathing was back to normal and she no longer looked like she was in pain. "I didn't tell you beforehand because I figured you would try to talk me out of it," I explained to her as I continued to run my fingers through her hair.

"What did it do?" she questioned after a moment when she was finally able to find her voice.

"Two things. One it turned the part of my soul you had into a full one. You will no longer need your soul stealers to keep you alive," I told her and watched as she glanced up at me in shock. "And you are human."

"I don't understand. I was always human," she replied as her face took on an expression of confusion.

"True. However, you are now as you were 50 years ago Kikyou. You are alive. No more a body of graveyard soil and clay. This one is as real as the original you were born in," I explained and watched with a smile as the emotions danced in her eyes. Confusion, hope, wonder, surprise, admiration and if I'm not mistaken, even a little bit of love.

"You gave me my life back? Not a fake existence but a real life? But the soul, how can you live if I have the full soul?" she wondered in confusion.

"As I said, the piece you had became a whole soul on its own. It expanded, I guess that would be the easiest way to explain it. I didn't lose any more of my soul, I still have the same amount I did before you drank the potion. I was fine without it and I will continue to be fine. Don't worry Kikyou, other than some discomfort from having the soul cut off completely, I am perfectly fine," I assured her with a smile.

"How can I ever repay you?" Kikyou questioned after a few minutes of silence, never once trying to pull out of my grasp.

"Take care of my anija-chan. Accept him for who and what he is without question. That is all I could ever ask," I told her with a smile as I pulled her in for one more hug before standing and helping her to her feet.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Summary: Book 2 in the Alpha Pack Mates series. A new pack member, blossoming romances, a wedding, completion of a quest, and learning how not only to be a pack, but also to be a family. Find out what else is awaiting the inu-tachi and get answers to some questions from Alpha.

Pairings: Inuyasha/Kikyou, Sango/Miroku, Sesshoumaru/Kagome.

Follows: The Anime and movies.

"spoken" 'thought' (translations)

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief , TheMikoShivae and Kiyota .

* * *

Chapter 4  
(Warning slight lime, more implied than described)

After telling her to wait there, I left Kikyou in the hut and began making my way over to Inuyasha who was talking quietly with his half-brother. When he noticed me coming towards him, he stood and turned to me in question. "It's time, anija-chan. She's waiting for you in your hut," I told him with a smile before sitting down next to Sesshoumaru.

Inuyasha continued to look at me in confusion before shaking his head. "Thanks," he mumbled before turning and heading toward his hut. Glancing toward Sesshoumaru, I found him staring at me with a raised eyebrow, and merely smiled back.

Just as I was about to open my mouth to talk with Sesshoumaru, a very happy hanyou came rushing back out of his hut. Within seconds I was being held in the air by his strong arms and spun around. I couldn't help but laugh at his antics.

As he finally set my feet back on the ground, he leaned down to kiss my cheek lightly before whispering in my ear, "Thank you, imouto-chan." Hugging me to his chest quickly, he finally let me go and rushed back toward his hut.

Laughing softly to myself, I sat back down and turned back to Sesshoumaru, the look in his eyes clearing stating he wouldn't allow me to get away with not answering again. "Kikyou is once again a living, breathing human," I explained with a smile.

He seemed to think about it fore a moment before replying, "Aki?"

With a smile I just nodded my head before turning my attention toward the giggling kids that were running around. Wondering why they weren't in bed yet I turned back to Sesshoumaru, who seemed to know my question before I had the chance to voice it.

"We were unsure of when you would put them to bed, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves," he explained with a very slight nod toward the children.

"I'll be back in a minute," I told him with a smile as I stood and began making my way over to the children.

"Alright guys, time for bed," I called out, ignoring the groans and pleas to stay just for a little while longer. "Don't start, you guys, you've already stayed up past your bedtime," I reminded them with a smile.

After a moment, and a few more groans, they finally relented and began making their way to our hut. Sending a quick smile over my shoulder to Sesshoumaru, I led the children into the hut and covered up the younger ones once they were ready for bed.

"Can you stay?" Daichi pleaded so quietly that I almost missed it. Turning back around with a smile, I grabbed a nearby book and crawled onto the futon next to him. He quickly curled up against my side, followed by Shippo who positioned himself on my lap.

Two pages into the story, even Rin came over and curled up against my other side. Smiling softly down at the children, I continued reading until all three of them were fast asleep. Setting Shippo down carefully in between the two, and making sure not to wake them, I put the book away and made my way back outside.

I found Sesshoumaru still sitting where I had left him and he turned to glance at me in question as I walked over. "Kids wanted a bed time story," I told him with a smile as I sat down next to him.

"He won't come near this Sesshoumaru," he told me after a moment of silence and it was easy to figure out who he was talking about.

"Give him time, Sesshoumaru. All he understands right now is that you are the guy that killed his mother. He's too young to understand that you did what you did in self-defense. Right now he's beginning to trust me. If he sees me trusting you, he will be more willing to do so himself.

"But you have to give him some time to come to terms with everything. It's hard to think about, let alone be around, the man that killed your mother. Trust me, I know. Just give him some time," I told him as I laid my hand on his shoulder with a smile before standing up and going back to cleaning.

I figured he would want some time to himself and the clearing wasn't quite clean yet. It didn't take too long before everything was picked up and I stopped by where Sesshoumaru was still sitting on my way back to my hut. "If you change your mind about sleeping outside, you're free to use the family room. There's no open futons, but I imagine you wouldn't sleep anyways and so sitting leaning against a wall should be just fine."

He nodded to me slightly, not really listening to what I was saying, and with a smile I leaned down to gently kiss the crescent moon on his forehead before heading toward my hut. As I walked in to the bedroom, seeing as the three kids had my futon covered, I quickly dressed for bed and laid down on Rin's.

As I was closing my eyes to sleep, I heard movement in the family room and looked up to find amber eyes gazing at me from across the room. Sesshoumaru had come in and sat down against the far wall, directly in line with my door. Smiling at him, I mouthed 'good night' before closing my eyes and drifting off to la la land.

* * *

(Some time before)

Kikyou watched as Kagome left the hut, thoughts running through her mind faster than she could even think them. She was alive again. Truly alive for the first time in over 50 years. No body of clay and dirt and graveyard soil. But one of flesh and bones and blood. No more depending on her soul stealers to keep herself in the land of the living.

She now had a full soul of her very own, but at the cost of Kagome living the rest of her life constantly missing a piece of hers. How could someone do that? Relinquish all chances of having her soul once again complete to give life to a woman who had tried to kill her on more than one occasion. To someone who made her suffer and lose her first love.

How anyone could be so selfless, Kikyou would probably never understand. She herself didn't think she would have been able to do what Kagome did if the roles were reversed. And for the first time since she joined the pack, Kikyou truly understood why Kagome was the Alpha. Why she could never be, though she was doubting now that she would ever want to be.

Being Alpha meant you had to put everyone before yourself, even at the cost of your own happiness. Always having to do what was best for everyone else, never thinking of how it would affect you. Knowing you may never get what you want, but being happy just knowing that the others did.

Now Kikyou wasn't a completely selfish person, not when she was first alive anyways, but she knew she could never do what Kagome did every day. She could never truly be that selfless. She could never be completely happy just knowing the others were. She would need something for herself.

Kikyou finally understood everything the pack had been trying to tell her from the very beginning. There was a reason Kagome was the Alpha, and why she would always be the Alpha. She was just cut from a different cloth than everyone else. Everything that Kikyou tried to do in her life, and failed miserably at it, Kagome succeeded - being the Shikon no miko, protecting the jewel and even correcting the mistake she made rather than giving up. Sure the girl had shattered it in the beginning, but she had allowed herself to be easily tricked resulting in the tainting of the jewel and her death, all because she wanted to rid herself of the responsibility and become a normal woman.

Inuyasha...how she loved him, but she had wanted him to become human, not only to get rid of the jewel like she had told him, but also because she knew how hard it would be to be with a hanyou. She wanted a normal life, even at the expense of who and what he was.

But not Kagome. No, Kagome loved him unconditionally without reservation, without wanting him to change, without wishing him to be something or someone he wasn't. She loved him enough to let him go just so he would be happy, even if it wasn't with her. But Kikyou could never let him go. She had thought it was because she loved him so much, and while she did love him more than anything, she couldn't let him go because she was weak.

She wasn't strong enough to live without him. She wasn't even strong enough with him. She allowed herself to be tricked by that dark hanyou when Kagome refused to allow him to corrupt her mind or turn her against her friends. Maybe what Kagome had told her months ago was right, maybe everything did start out with a rough draft. At the very least, Kikyou was pleased to know she had done so much better in her next life.

Kikyou was startled out of her thoughts as Inuyasha walked into the hut. Glancing up at him, she wondered how he would take her new form, but before she had the chance to ask, he had sniffed the air and dashed back out of the hut. Kikyou stood there confused. She would have thought he would have been happy to have her truly alive again.

Though he never said it to her face, she knew he couldn't stand her scent of graveyard soil. He would always scrunch his nose when he thought she wasn't looking. Now she couldn't smell it herself, but she was pretty sure she was back to smelling like the rain as she did before she died. Why wasn't he happy?

Before she could think about it further, said hanyou was rushing back into the hut, his arms immediately going around her waist as he pulled her flush to his chest. "Kami, I have missed this scent," he whispered against her ear as she felt his hot breath cascading down on it.

"Why did you run off?" Kikyou questioned as she gazed up into his amber eyes and saw that for the first time in 50 years, he was truly happy when he was with her.

"I had to thank imouto-chan," he explained with a soft smile before leaning down and capturing her lips in a fiery kiss that left them both breathless when he finally pulled back. "It's time," he whispered against the shell of her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

Kikyou gazed into his amber eyes, so full of love and passion, with the first real smile she remembered wearing in the longest time. Far too long in fact. But thoughts of how long it had been since she gave a true smile left her mind completely as his lips descended on hers once again while he lifted her into his arms and carried her over to their futon.

Inuyasha laid her down gently before finally breaking the kiss. He gazed into her eyes for a moment before running his thumb, mindful of his claws, over her lips. Leaning down so his lips were just a breath away from hers, he whispered, "I love you Kikyou."

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Summary: Book 2 in the Alpha Pack Mates series. A new pack member, blossoming romances, a wedding, completion of a quest, and learning how not only to be a pack, but also to be a family. Find out what else is awaiting the inu-tachi and get answers to some questions from Alpha.

Pairings: Inuyasha/Kikyou, Sango/Miroku, Sesshoumaru/Kagome.

Follows: The Anime and movies.

"spoken" 'thought' (translations)

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief , TheMikoShivae and Kiyota .

* * *

Chapter 5

Dawn the next morning was met with a beautiful, clear sky. The two newly joined couples were the last to leave their huts, walking out to find the children already off playing a game. A quick inquiry, and they learned Kagome was down by the river catching fish for breakfast while Sesshoumaru was off scouting the area.

Inuyasha, Kikyou, Miroku, and Sango each took their places around the fire, the girls sitting as possibly close as they could to their husband/mate without actually sitting on the guy's lap. Right away they could tell there was something different about the miko and hanyou, Miroku being the first to question it.

"Lady Kikyou, if you don't mind me asking, why is it that you seem more...?" Miroku paused, unsure of how to finish his question without sounding insulting.

"More human? More alive?" Kikyou finished for him and smiled when she saw understanding flash across his violet eyes. "Kagome-chan gave me a potion last night. It gave me a real body along with a full soul."

"Oh wow, but how could she give you a full soul without losing the rest of hers?" Sango inquired, a bit worried for her 'sister'.

"As Kagome-chan explained it, the part of the soul I held onto expanded into a full soul. Leaving her with as much of the soul as she had before. Of course, she didn't tell me what the potion was going to do until after I had drank it."

"You drank the potion not knowing what was going to happen?" Miroku inquired, a bit confused.

"As she said, she is my alpha and I finally understand that now. I do not wish to be alpha and have to do what she does. Kagome-chan is far too selfless, much more than I could ever dream to be. Because of her I am truly alive for the first time in over 50 years, I have a complete soul and now I have my mate," Kikyou replied with a smile as she glanced over at Inuyasha.

"You two mated? Congratulations!" Sango cheered as she jumped up from her spot, almost knocking Miroku over in the process, and threw her arms around Kikyou. Kikyou seemed taken back slightly by the embrace, but soon melted into it and held the younger girl.

"Congratulations, Lady Kikyou, Inuyasha," Miroku agreed more reserve as he nodded his head toward them.

"Feh," Inuyasha replied turning his head away to hide the slight blush that had formed on his cheeks.

"Guess it's just Kagome-chan left that needs to find her special someone," Sango commented with a slight blush as she turned to smile at Miroku before moving back to her spot next to him.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Inuyasha told her with a laugh as he glanced back over at them, happy to have the attention off of him and his new mate. "I think she already did. Question is whether they realize it or not yet," Inuyasha explained as he nodded toward Sesshoumaru and Kagome who were entering the clearing.

"Huh? Wait when did that happen?" Sango inquired, confused after glancing over at the two and turning back to Inuyasha.

"Not really sure, think it was sometime when Sesshoumaru was human. Even caught them kissing not too long ago," Inuyasha told them in a whisper, making sure Sesshoumaru couldn't hear them. Sango stared open-mouthed at him for a moment before standing.

"I think it's time for a bath," Sango decided as she walked over to Kagome and started dragging her away from camp, after handing over the fish to Miroku. "Can you grab our bathing supplies?" Sango called over her shoulder to Kikyou as she glanced over at the other girl. With a nod, Kikyou headed into the huts before following after them.

* * *

"Okay, I think I can make it the rest of the way myself," I joked as I tried to get Sango to release her hold on my arm. We had already reached the springs and I had just finally gotten over my shock at having her grab me and practically carry me out of the clearing.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sorry," Sango mumbled as she let go and began removing her clothes so she could enter the hot water. By the time we were undressed and settling in, Kikyou arrived setting the supplies down next to the springs before undressing and climbing in herself.

"Okay Kagome-chan, spill, what's going on between you and Sesshoumaru?" Sango demanded not a moment after Kikyou had gotten comfortable. I glanced over at Sango in shock as my mind processed her words.

'How exactly am I supposed to explain what's going on between the two of us when it hasn't even been explained to me yet?' I wondered silently as I glanced between Sango and Kikyou, neither of which seemed likely to allow me to get away with not answering.

"Well, there's really not much to explain, still too new I guess. Back when Sesshoumaru was human, we shared a kiss but I stopped it worried about him being angry that I took advantage of him while he was human. I told him if he still felt the same once he was back to normal I would be willing to try a relationship with him.

Well, it seems he did feel the same since the other night he kissed me again. We haven't really talked about anything yet or set up goals for the relationship so there really isn't much I can tell you guys," I explained hoping they would drop it. No such luck.

"Well, is he a good kisser at least?" Sango wondered, not missing a beat.

"I don't really have much to compare it to, but I highly doubt those were bad kisses, so yes he is."

"How far do you want to take the relationship?" Kikyou inquired, causing me to start coughing and turn to her in shock.

"Kikyou!" I hissed back at her trying my best to ignore the blush that was quickly covering my entire face.

"I didn't mean like 'that'! Eventually sure, but not this soon in the relationship. I meant more like do you want this to be a short 'just to pass the time' thing, or are you wanting it to be long term?" Kikyou clarified, allowing me to get some of the blush under control.

"I don't really know yet. I mean I only really know him as an ally and a friend right now, I don't really know if we would be well compatible in a more romantic setting."

"You two, not compatible?" Sango questioned sarcastically. "While I will admit you two are almost polar opposites in a lot of things, you guys are more than compatible. Both are alphas, which in demon terms is pretty much all the compatibility you need, both too stubborn for your own good, fiercely loyal, and expect others to be as well.

"Honorable, intelligent, competitive. Him more so than you on that last one of course. But even the things you two are opposites with, they work well together," Sango insisted as I gave her a confused look. I understand the whole 'opposites attract' bit but wasn't really sure how it would work well together.

"Well, let's start with his aggression. While you may not be completely demure, you are nowhere near as aggressive as he is. Being around you will tone him down, provided his pack isn't threatened, and you don't have to worry about fighting as much, but will still be safe. His cold personality and your warm and happy one.

"You've managed to get him to open up a lot more, and I don't just mean when he was human. He wouldn't consider the rest of us as part of 'his pack' if it wasn't for you. His relationship with Inuyasha has changed drastically, and even though they still need a lot of work, it wouldn't have had a shot without your influence.

"While I do wish you could find someone who's human, Sesshoumaru's a really great match for you. He can protect you, give you anything and everything you need, not to mention he's incredibly gorgeous. Though I will forever deny saying that," Sango commented with a laugh.

"All of this is of course assuming he wants this to be long term," I mumbled as I turned to glance out into the forest surrounding us. The two of them laughing caused me to turn my gaze back to them.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Kikyou told me with a smile. Something about the look in her eyes made me believe she knew something she wasn't telling me, but the two of them rising and getting dressed assured me that they weren't about to elaborate further.

* * *

After we had finished dressing, we had made our way back to our little village. Thoughts of what we had talked about at the springs still flowed through my mind. On one hand, I wanted to have their confidence that he wanted this to be long term but on the other, I wasn't even sure yet if I wanted it to be.

Yeah, he was a great catch and he fit everything I knew my 'husband' would need to be, including being worthy of being a member of my pack, but could I really see myself spending the rest of my life with him? Dealing with the cold and icy exterior whenever there are others around, having to play the submissive part most of if not all of the time.

If we did 'mate' would it cause problems in the West having the Lady be human? He's already has an heir so I don't have to worry about him taking a demoness just to make sure his heir was full demon, but what about if he wanted more pups later? Would he deny me my own children simply because they would be hanyou?

Would he take other wives or concubines as it is custom for lords to do? And what about Daichi? He likes me now but how would he feel about me being his step-mom? Kami, why am I even worrying about this now?! Why didn't I realize this before? Of course this isn't going to be long term. There's no way Sesshoumaru would take a human for his mate or take the chance of having hanyou pups.

Okay, so we'll be more boyfriend and girlfriend as opposed to fiancés. That's okay. I will enjoy our time together while I can and not worry about what happens in the future. I shouldn't even be worrying about this, I'm far too young to be thinking about that kind of thing anyways.

With a mental nod to myself, noting that we had arrived back in the clearing, I walked over to sit down next to the fire where the fish seemed to be done cooking. Sending the others a smile, I took the offered plate from Miroku before beginning to eat.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Summary: Book 2 in the Alpha Pack Mates series. A new pack member, blossoming romances, a wedding, completion of a quest, and learning how not only to be a pack, but also to be a family. Find out what else is awaiting the inu-tachi and get answers to some questions from Alpha.

Pairings: Inuyasha/Kikyou, Sango/Miroku, Sesshoumaru/Kagome.

Follows: The Anime and movies.

"spoken" 'thought' (translations)

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief , TheMikoShivae and Kiyota .

* * *

Chapter 6

"When will you guys be back?" I questioned the males of the group as they readied themselves for a day out hunting. Whether we needed the meat or they just wanted to have a 'guys' day out', I wasn't really sure.

"We'll be back some time around dusk. You sure you girls will be okay here?" Inuyasha inquired glancing from Kikyou to Sango and finally landing on me.

"Inuyasha, we have an exterminator and two mikos. I think we can handle anything that comes up. Not to mention three full-blooded youkai, including one trained to fight. Go. Spend the day hunting, do the male bonding thing and don't worry about us," I insisted with a smile as I nodded toward the woods.

"Alright," he finally relented before giving Kikyou a quick kiss and stopping by to give me a hug. "Just send Kirara to us if you run into any problems." With that said, he turned and started away before I had the chance to make any reply.

"Good day Lady Kagome, Lady Kikyou," Miroku began giving us each a nod of his head. Turning toward Sango he finished, "My Lady." After giving her a quick kiss on the check, he turned and started after Inuyasha.

Now the only one left standing in front of us was Sesshoumaru, I doubted he had any intention of saying goodbye as the other two did. Guessing by the fact he gave me a nod of the head and turned without saying anything, I had been correct.

"Okay kids, who wants to play tag?!" I called out, turning around to face them with a smile. They cheers and shouts for joy made it easy to see that they were all wanting to play.

* * *

"So why are we going hunting anyways?" Miroku questioned after they had been walking away from camp for a few minutes. Normally he would have left the hunting up to Inuyasha, as he had done from the beginning, but there was just something off about the way Inuyasha asked him to join them this morning. And he just couldn't say no.

"What don't buy Kagome's male bonding bit?" Inuyasha joked turning around to Miroku without missing a step.

"Not in the least," Miroku replied.

"No real reason, just felt like hunting and invited you along," Inuyasha explained with a chuckle as he turned his attention back to the forest around him. "You better not hurt her," Inuyasha warned turning his attention to his half-brother after deciding now was as good a time as any to bring the subject up.

"I have no intention to. Even you should know that an inu never harms his own pack," Sesshoumaru called over his shoulder before speeding up a bit, a clear sign that the conversation was over.

"You don't really think he would hurt Lady Kagome, do you?" Miroku inquired after Sesshoumaru had left hearing range.

"Nah, but it's my job to make sure," Inuyasha replied with a cocky smile as he glanced over at Miroku before turning his attention back to the forest around him and began sniffing the air. Once he picked up the trail, Inuyasha began to hunt.

* * *

"Okies, time for the grownups to take a break, you kids keep playing," I called out to the kids a moment before collapsing down next to the fire in exhaustion. "You know if adults had half of the energy kids have, we'd probably get twice the work done we do now," I joked as the other two joined me.

"Got that right," Sango replied in between pants as she and Kikyou sat down next to me. "Oh, that is so cute," Sango whispered, drawing mine and Kikyou's attention to what she was looking at. Out in the field, Rin had fallen down and instead of tagging her, since he was it, Souta helped her up and let her get a head start before chasing after her.

"Those two would make the sweetest couple," I agreed with a smile before turning my attention back to the girls. Kikyou opened her mouth to say something, but whatever it was, was lost when we both shot to our feet when we felt an incoming demon.

Just as I was about to yell for the kids to get inside, the cloud of dust settled, revealing Ayame. "Well hello Ayame. It's been a while," I greeted with a smile before nodding toward Kikyou to let her know that it was alright.

"Yeah, my grandfather has had me running ragged. I haven't gotten a moments rest in who knows how many moon cycles. Think it's my punishment for not getting Kouga to mate with me," Ayame replied with a shrug before sitting down next to Kikyou.

"Not sure if you two met yet. Kikyou this is Ayame, one of our wolf allies. Ayame this is Kikyou Inuyasha's mate," I introduced as I gestured to each one.

"Inuyasha's mate? I thought that was going to be you," Ayame told me confused as she glanced back over at me.

"Nah, seems we're better off as more of siblings than romantic interests. So what brings you all the way out here?" I inquired deciding to get the conversation onto a subject that wasn't me or my love life, or, well, lack there of.

"Another errand for grandfather. Have to pick some herbs up at a nearby demon village so I decided I would stop by and visit. Thought I should warn you. Since Kouga can't get it through his thick head that you aren't going to mate him, I've decided to give up on waiting. Unfortunately for you, that probably means he's going to redouble his efforts to win you over."

"I'm sorry Ayame."

"Whatever for? Unless you're responsible for giving him such a thick skull, I fail to see where this is your fault. I've never once blamed you for any of this. It's Kouga's fault, not yours. I just refuse to do to him what he does to you."

Giving Ayame a bright smile, I went to ask her if she wanted to stay for dinner when another cloud of dust picked up off in the distance. "Well speak of the devil," I replied instead rolling my eyes. None of us bothered to get battle ready this time, since we already knew who it was.

Less than a minute later the dust cloud stopped in front of us and revealed Kouga. "What do you want Kouga-kun?" I inquired glancing up at him. Why I bothered to ask, I'm not really sure since what he wants never changes, but who knows, I could get lucky.

"My woman needs to come back with me to the den. It's time to start Ginta's mating ceremony," Kouga explained and I was about to respond with the usual 'I'm not your woman' when I realized he wasn't looking at me. Following his line of sight, I realized he was, in fact, looking at Ayame.

Leaning over, I whispered, "I think he's talking to you," quietly in her ear, though no doubt with his demon hearing he could still pick it up.

"I think you're right. Think I'll let him do the chasing for a bit," Ayame whispered so softly I almost missed it, I don't think even Kouga was able to catch it. Standing up, Ayame turned toward him with a smirk. "I'm not your woman," she insisted before giving us a wave and taking off in a cloud of dust.

Kouga seemed slightly confused by the turn of events before giving us a quick 'later' and taking off after her. The moment he was no more than a cloud of dust, the tree of us busted up laughing. "What were you two whispering?" Sango questioned when she was finally able to get herself under control.

"She's decided to let him chase her for a while," I explained in between pants and sent us off on another fit.

"What's so funny?" Inuyasha questioned as he came into the clearing with a few dead rabbits thrown over his shoulder.

"You just missed Kouga and Ayame. Seems he's finally given up on me and is now chasing Ayame, but she's decided to make him sweat a bit," I explained in between chuckles.

"Ha, serves the flea bag right," Inuyasha replied with a chuckle of his own before sitting down and beginning to cook the rabbits. "Sesshoumaru and Miroku are bringing back two large kills, we'll eat these rabbits for the next few days and dry the rest for later."

"Sounds good, do you need any help?"

"Nope I've got it."

"Good. Then time for round two of tag with the kids," I told him with a smile as I stood up and headed off to where they were still playing.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Summary: Book 2 in the Alpha Pack Mates series. A new pack member, blossoming romances, a wedding, completion of a quest, and learning how not only to be a pack, but also to be a family. Find out what else is awaiting the inu-tachi and get answers to some questions from Alpha.

Pairings: Inuyasha/Kikyou, Sango/Miroku, Sesshoumaru/Kagome.

Follows: The Anime and movies.

"spoken" 'thought' (translations)

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief , Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

* * *

Chapter 7

As the adults of the group were chatting and working on dinner while sitting around the campfire, the kids were off to the side playing tag. Rin had just returned from picking flowers with Jaken and decided she wanted to join them. Putting on her most adorable smile, Rin headed over toward them.

"Can I play too?" Rin inquired, catching the boys' attention. Souta opened his mouth to answer, but before any sound could come out, Daichi answered for him.

"No," Daichi replied without any further explanation before turning back around and chasing after Kohaku. As Kohaku began running away from him, Souta and Shippo exchanged confused looks. Turning back to Rin, they saw a sight no little boy wants to see, tears were beginning to form in the corner of her eyes.

"Rin only wanted to play," she said already beginning to sniffle. Soon the tears were making heated trails down her cheeks and she began to hiccup. Not knowing what else to do, Souta walked over to her and pulled her into an embrace. Confused, Rin glanced up at him.

"Don't cry Rin. If Daichi doesn't want to play with you, me and Shippo will," Souta assured her as he reached his hand up and gently brushed the tears away.

"Why doesn't he want to play with Rin?" she questioned as she glanced over to the other side of the field where Kohaku was currently chasing after Daichi.

"I have no idea Rin, but it's not worth crying over. Come on, let me see your pretty smile," Souta requested without realizing what he was saying. The moment his words registered in his mind, a bright blush made its way across his cheeks. But his words had the desired affect, Rin smiled brightly at him, causing her eyes to shine.

"Why don't we play a different game," Souta suggested glancing away to try and hide his already spotted blush.

"Like what?" Shippo questioned as he walked over the rest of the distance to them and sat down next to where Souta was still embracing Rin.

'What game would a girl like?' Souta wondered for a moment, trying to remember which games his sister and the girls at school used to play. "I got it. Hopscotch, I can teach you two how to play it," Souta said with a smile as he finally let go of Rin and went searching for a stick to draw in the dirt.

* * *

Dinner had just ended and I was still washing out the dishes at the river when Souta came over to me and started helping. Right away I could tell he wanted something, he never helped with the dishes back home. "What do you need, Souta?" I questioned, turning toward him with a knowing look.

"Well, you see, I..." he began and mumbled the rest under his breath so I was unable to hear what he said. Rolling my eyes at him, I turned back toward the dishes.

"I'm not a dog demon Souta, my hearing isn't that great. If you want something, speak up," I instructed as I handed him a dish to dry.

"I want to ask Rin to go steady," Souta replied, still in a low whisper, though this time I caught it. Too bad I didn't catch myself. Completely shocked by his words, I ended up falling backwards and landing on my backside.

"You want to ask her to go steady?" I questioned as I turned towards him, not bothering to pick myself up. "Did I hear that right?" I inquired and he nodded his head in response. "About time. I've been waiting for you to say something since you first met her the cave. I think you two would make sure an adorable couple."

"Onee-san (older sister)," Souta grumbled. "Do you really have to make this any more embarrassing?" he complained.

"No, I suppose not. I'll be nice, but just this once. So why are you coming to me? You don't expect me to ask her for you, do you?"

"Oh no, I'll ask her myself, I was just wondering how to get around Sesshoumaru," he explained as he glanced over at the demon lord that was currently listening to Rin rattle on about Hopscotch, or at least she was when I left to do the dishes.

"That's easy Souta. You don't go around Sesshoumaru, you go through him. The only way you stand a chance with Rin, is to have Sesshoumaru's approval," I explained as I handed him another clean dish to dry.

"Great, even I know he doesn't like humans. This is hopeless," Souta complained as he hastily dried the dish and moved to leave.

"In case you have forgotten Souta, Rin is human too. So am I, and he seems to like us just fine. Besides, are you really going to give up without even trying? That's not the Souta I know. Look, the worst thing he's going to do is tell you no. It's not like he's going to kill you just for asking. You're part of Inuyasha's pack and that makes you part of his. He isn't going to hurt you.

"If you want a chance with Rin, take my advice. Walk up and ask him, in front of everyone to show you are not scared. If he thinks you're going to run away at the first sign of danger, you've got no shot. Be strong, firm, don't stutter. Know what you are going to say beforehand so you don't have to think about it while standing in front of him.

"And most of all, be respectful of Sesshoumaru. Don't suck up to him or anything, be your own man - er, boy, but be respectful. And whatever you do, do not yell at Jaken when he complains and starts calling you a worthless human, and you know he will. Sesshoumaru is not going to agree if you lower yourself to an insult fight. Try not to even answer Jaken, but if he asks you a direct question, be respectful to him when you answer.

"Kami only knows why, but Rin loves that little toad. Those two are the most important people in her life, and it won't do you any good to get Sesshoumaru's approval just to have Rin turn you down because you insulted Jaken. Can you remember all of this?" I inquired when I noticed the dazed look in his eyes.

"Yes," he replied nodding after a moment. "I'm going to go practice," Souta decided as he stood and began making his way back toward the huts, leaving me to finish the rest of the dishes.

"This is going to be interesting," Sango commented coming up behind me and causing me to jump slightly. "Sorry, I was coming over to see if you needed any help and caught your conversation with Souta. You really think he has a chance of getting Sesshoumaru to agree?" she questioned as she took Souta's vacated spot and began drying the dishes.

"I don't see why not. I mean Sesshoumaru seems to approve of me and we come from the same family. And Souta's a good kid, though I will be ready to go back through the well for a tub of ice cream if he says no. Don't really think Souta will need the comfort food, but I sure will." I told her with a smile as I handed her the last dish.

"Tell you what, I'll join you if he says no." Sango told me with a smile as we stood and began collecting the dishes before heading back toward the huts.

* * *

"Well here goes nothing." Souta commented out loud, more to himself than to the rest of us, before taking a deep breath and rising from his spot next to the fire.

"Good luck." I whispered, giving him a reassuring smile before turning toward Inuyasha who was tugging of my sleeve to get my attention. "He's going to ask Sesshoumaru permission to go steady with Rin," I explained, making sure I was loud enough for the others around to hear me, but not Sesshoumaru, who was a ways away.

"He's going to need a lot more than luck," Inuyasha whispered back, though I am not really sure if he was talking to me or just thinking out loud. Thankfully though, Souta did not hear him.

"Hush, you," I told Inuyasha before turning my attention back to Souta, who was now standing in front of Sesshoumaru, waiting to have his attention. Sesshoumaru took his gaze off of Rin and Jaken, who were off to the side playing, and glanced up at Souta for a moment.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, I have a request," Souta began, his voice already beginning to shake a bit. Clearing his throat, he continued, "I would like your permission to go steady with Rin." A single elegant eyebrow raised as Sesshoumaru turned his full attention to Souta.

"Go steady? Tell this Sesshoumaru, boy, what are your intentions of this one's Rin?" Sesshoumaru inquired as he stood, towering over Souta. Already I could see his legs begin shaking a bit and silently instructed him to get it under control.

"Going steady just means that we would spend more time together, rather than with others. Having picnics together. Not really sure what all there is to do in this time, but back home we'd go to the movies, restaurants, the arcade. It's mostly just spending time together without other friends our age around," Souta explained, to the best of his ability.

"Do you plan to mate with this one's Rin?" Sesshoumaru inquired, somehow making himself seem even taller and more imposing without doing anything.

"Mate? You mean like having se...se...No no, I'm way too young for that," Souta insisted as his face morphed into a tomato, causing the rest of us sitting by the fire to have to force ourselves to not laugh.

"Agreed," Sesshoumaru commented before turning his gaze to catch mine. His amber orbs held onto mine for a moment before turning back to Souta. "This Sesshoumaru will allow it, however, you are to never be alone with Rin. Jaken shall be your chaperon. This Sesshoumaru assumes he doesn't have to warn you what will happen if you hurt Rin?"

"No, of course not Lord Sesshoumaru. Thank you, for giving me a chance," Souta replied as he bowed deeply before turning and heading toward Rin and Jaken, who had missed the entire conversation while they were playing. "Rin? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Souta inquired, causing our attention to be kept on him. There was just no way we were going to miss this.

"I was wondering..." Souta began causing his face to turn beat red again. Rin just glanced up at him with a smile as Jaken glared at him.

"How is it he had less problems with asking Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha questioned grabbing all of our attention.

"Easy, the worse Sesshoumaru could have done was say no. The worse Rin can do, is say no," I replied, forcing myself not to laugh when Inuyasha shot me a confused look. "Sesshoumaru saying no would have been a disappointment, Rin saying no would be a rejection."

"I was wondering if...you wanted...to be..." Souta paused to take a deep breath, "my girlfriend." he finally managed to get out. The smile that lit her face was just priceless.

"Oh yes, Rin does," Rin told him, nodding her head enthusiastically before standing on her toes and kissing him lightly on the cheek. Next to her Jaken huffed and began making his way over to us as Rin and Souta went off to play with Shippo and the others.

"I'm surprised you didn't complain, toad," Inuyasha laughed as Jaken sat down next to the fire.

"Don't call him names, Inuyasha. Not that I mind, but why didn't you complain Jaken?" I questioned as I turned from glaring at Inuyasha to looking at Jaken.

"She called herself Rin, she talks in the third person when she's excited. Even I am not so cruel to take that away," Jaken explained as he shrugged his shoulders.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Summary: Book 2 in the Alpha Pack Mates series. A new pack member, blossoming romances, a wedding, completion of a quest, and learning how not only to be a pack, but also to be a family. Find out what else is awaiting the inu-tachi and get answers to some questions from Alpha.

Pairings: Inuyasha/Kikyou, Sango/Miroku, Sesshoumaru/Kagome.

Follows: The Anime and movies.

"spoken" 'thought' (translations)

* * *

AN: Okies guys there was supposed to be three chapters left, but two of them didn't really have enough for a chapter each so I decided to combine them. That means there are just two chapters left, including the epilogue to this story. I will continue on with the third book, We are Mates, but I have to warn you now that I will be taking a slight break from this series. As it stands I do not have enough storyline for the third book and I don't like to start until the layout is finished, less chances of getting stuck or having plot holes. And truthfully I need a little break from this one.

So what I'm going to do is start working on 1-3 of my others stories and once I finish the first one I will start up Mates, since I should have the layout done by then. If I do get the layout done early and feel like I've had enough of a break I will go ahead and start it up, I just don't want to stop in the middle and leave you all hanging.

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

* * *

Chapter 8

Late that night after the others had crawled onto their futons and entered the land of dreams, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling. I had no idea what it was that was keeping me up, but not even the children curled up around me was enough to lull me to sleep. Finally giving it up as hopeless after laying there for well over an hour, I decided to go for a walk.

Carefully rolling Rin and Shippo over, I quietly climbed off the futon. Checking to make sure I hadn't woken them, or Daichi was was sleeping on Shippo's futon off on the other side of the room, I silently slipped out. Making my way over to the front door, praying I didn't stub my toe on anything in the dim light provided by the crescent moon above, I grabbed my jacket off of a peg and opened the door.

"Kagome." I heard my name called out from behind me, causing me to jump slightly. Turning around, with one of my hands over my heart, I find Sesshoumaru sitting against one of the far walls, his deep, amber eyes gazing into mine in question. "Where are you going?"

"For a walk. I can't sleep." I explained to him with a smile as I finally got my racing heart back under control.

"I will accompany you." he told me as he rose gracefully from the floor. I opened my mouth to protest, but he silenced me with one of his 'obey me' looks. So with a shrug, I smiled at him before finishing putting on my coat and heading outside.

Stepping out into the cool night air, I hear Sesshoumaru follow me out before closing the door behind him. "You are aware that you are the reason I told the boy yes, are you not?" Sesshoumaru questioned out of the blue, confusing me for a moment.

Once I realized what he was referring to, I turned to him with a smile. "I figured as much, but don't worry. Souta will prove himself worthy of Rin." I assured him, having nothing but completely faith in Souta and the kind of man he would one day be.

"Sesshoumaru may I ask you something?" I inquired after a few moments of silence. He gave me the slightest of nods as a response. "What do you want? From our relationship, I mean." I wondered, unable to look into his golden eyes as I waited for the answer and opted instead to look straight ahead.

"I can not answer your question as I am not entirely sure myself at this moment. What I do know is that I enjoy spending time with you." Sesshoumaru paused to take a hold of my hand, stopping me from going any further. "And I know my instincts tell me that the alpha male and female should be together, to strengthen the pack."

"I wouldn't say that too loud, Inuyasha might get mad if he hears you calling yourself alpha." I joked with a smile.

"Of your pack, Inuyasha is indeed the alpha male, however, with out packs combined, I become the overall alpha male." Sesshoumaru explained, still retaining his hold on my hand.

"So then who would be the alpha female in your pack?" I inquired when my curiously got the better of me.

"Rin," he answered simply, almost as if I should have known the answer, and truthfully I should have. 'I mean who else would it have been? Jaken?' That thought sent me into a fit of giggles that had Sesshoumaru looking at me strangely. I waved my hand in the air in an attempt to dismiss whatever his next question, probably about my sanity, might have been.

"I guess it's good that we combined our packs then." I told him after a moment and a single elegant eyebrow was raised in question. "Well just look at what the combinations might have been if we didn't. You with Rin and me with Inuyasha."

"If I am not mistaken, that was your original plan." he replied as he began walking again, forcing me to move as well, seeing as he had yet to let go of my hand.

"True, however, I can no longer see myself like that with Inuyasha any more than I could with Miroku." I began, giving up on ever getting my hand back, and instead wrapped my fingers around his larger ones. "They are just too much like brothers to me."

"It is all part of becoming pack. If a pack is strong, the alpha's doing their job, it will become a family." Sesshoumaru explained as he glanced over at me for a moment before turning his gaze back in front of him.

"What happens if I start seeing you as family?" I joked, startled when he stopped suddenly and turned toward me, a slight growl echoing around us. It took me a moment to realize he was the one making the noise.

"The only family I would ever be, would be your mate." Sesshoumaru informed me, the growl growing louder before he dropped my hand and started back toward the huts.

"Huh?" I questioned intelligibly, the current turn of events taking a moment to register in my mind. "Hey get back here!" I demanded as I turned and started jogging after him. "Sesshoumaru you can't just say something like that and then walk away as though nothing happened. Get back here and explain yourself!" I demanded, forgetting for a moment who I was talking to. It wasn't like I was worried he would hurt me, but that didn't mean I wanted him mad at me.

* * *

I finally caught back up to Sesshoumaru after we had reached the village. "Sesshoumaru, please explain what just happened. You can't just walk away like that and expect me to accept your silence as an answer." I insisted, placing my hands on my hips, not that it did much good. Instead of answering me, he gracefully lowered himself to the ground and leaned up against a nearby tree.

"Infuriating males." I growled under my breath as I turned and stomped out of our little clearing. I had no wish to wake the kids with my yelling, but if I stayed near him for a moment more with him ignoring me the way he was, it was bound it happen.

I had only been walking for a few moments when I heard footsteps behind me. This close to camp I wasn't worried about anything attacking me, so I turned around with a smile on my face. Behind me, Inuyasha stood his arms crossed. His expression clearly stating he wasn't buying my smile for a moment.

"Alright, what's got you two fighting?" Inuyasha demanded as he moved to sit down on a fallen log and patted the seat next to him. Sighing, I plopped down beside him, turning to face him.

"He's infuriating, that's what!" I replied hotly, to which he gave me a 'tell me something I don't know' look. "I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go for a walk, he came with me. We started discussing alphas and how becoming a pack makes the members feel like family. Well I made a joke about what would happen if I started to see him as family and he blew up, telling me the only family he would be would be my mate. Then he stomped off and refuses to talk to me, let alone answer my questions."

It only took Inuyasha about three seconds to bust up laughing. I growled at him, the jerk wasn't even trying to hide it. "Well what do you expect Kagome? I mean first off you are trying to joke around with the ice prince and second, can you think of any male that would like to hear the girl he's trying to court might see him as family? Even if it is a joke."

"Hey Sesshoumaru jokes too you know, just not very often." I defended sending Inuyasha one of my best glares. "And okay so he didn't like my joke, but that still doesn't explain why he wouldn't tell me what he was talking about." I grumbled as I crossed my arms and began pouting. Childish I know, but if he was going to act like one, well then so could I.

"What you need to understand Kagome is demons don't look for short term relationships like you said humans in your time do, like what Souta is doing with Rin. This dating thing doesn't exist for high level demons. If a demon is courting you, like Sesshoumaru is beginning to do, they only have one goal in mind: mating."

"Well then why doesn't he just say so rather than ignoring me and confusing me even more?" I demanded with a huff, mentally mumbling about how much of a pain in the ass males can be.

"You should know Sesshoumaru better than that by now. He doesn't like to have to explain himself or his actions. And who knows, maybe he thinks it might scare you off if you know what his intentions are. Also, courting a human is new to him, if you were a demon, you would already know what he was doing." Inuyasha explained with more patience than I knew he possessed.

"Guess I should try talking to him again." I told Inuyasha with a sigh before standing up. "Thanks Inuyasha. I think I understand things a bit more now."

"Glad I could help, it's the least I can do after everything you have done for me." he told me with a smile as he stood as well and we began making our way back to the clearing. It wasn't more than a minute or two before Inuyasha bid me a goodnight and began walking toward his hut. Taking a deep breath, I glanced over to where Sesshoumaru was still resting against the tree and began making my way over to him.

"I'm sorry Sesshoumaru, I shouldn't have made a joke like that. And I think I understand things a bit better now. I have to tell you that I am not ready to think about anything like mating yet. Just give me some time and I promise you will be the first to know the moment I am.

"But if we are going to have any kind of relationship, you are going to have to talk to me Sesshoumaru. I don't have the instincts to explain your actions to me, so you are going to have to do so. Just like I may have to explain some human customs or behavior to you."

"I will try." he told me as his deep, amber eyes locked onto my own chocolate ones. After a moment he patted the ground next to him once, indicating I should sit. With a small smile, I did.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	10. Epilogue

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. Only the story belongs to me.

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Summary: Book 2 in the Alpha Pack Mates series. A new pack member, blossoming romances, a wedding, completion of a quest, and learning how not only to be a pack, but also to be a family. Find out what else is awaiting the inu-tachi and get answers to some questions from Alpha.

Pairings: Inuyasha/Kikyou, Sango/Miroku, Sesshoumaru/Kagome.

Follows: The Anime and movies.

"spoken" 'thought' (translations)

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AN: Alright this is the last chapter for They are Pack. This is also the last story I will be posting on a single spark. From now on all of my Kag/Sess stories will be at dokuga(dot)com and all my stories at fanfiction(dot)net. If you haven't read it already there's a FAQ on my ff(dot)net profile that should answer any questions you may have. Hope to see you at my next stories The Void and whatever I end up naming that second one lol.

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

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Epilogue

The next morning I was woken up with the sun, despite the fact that I hadn't had very much sleep the night before. Him knowing I had gotten to bed late, did not stop Inuyasha from shaking my shoulder, mere moments after dawn. "What do you want Inuyasha?" I demanded, opening my eyes to glare at him.

"Come outside Kagome, we need to talk." he told me before straighting up and heading back outside. Not liking his tone in the least, I quickly jumped up off of the futon and hurried out after him, not even bothering to get dressed. Once outside, I found Inuyasha sitting down next to the fire pit as he tried to get it started.

As I neared, he glanced up and gave me a once over. Raising an eyebrow at me, he wondered, "Why didn't you get dressed?" Sending him a glare, I moved to sit down next to him and helped get the fire going.

"Inuyasha, you woke me up at dawn, told me we needed to talk in a very serious tone of voice and you expect me to take the time to get dressed? Now what did you want to talk about Inuyasha?" I questioned once the fire was going and I turned my full attention to him.

"I think it's time to get rid of the jewel. The way things are going, it's not going to be too long before the pack grows and with this many kids already, it would be a good idea to prevent some demons from attacking. And the jewel is nothing more than a beacon."

"I agree Inuyasha. Let me make one more trip to the future to say goodbye and we can call a meeting tonight. With the time that's past, maybe someone will be able to come up with a selfless wish this time." I told him with a smile before standing and making my way back toward my hut to get dressed.

"I'll cross over to make sure it's safe, be ready to go when I get back." Inuyasha called back to me and I turned back to nod at him before going inside. Deciding it would be best to give Souta the chance to say goodbye as well, I made my way over to the boys' room. Noticing Sesshoumaru was absent from his usual spot, I shrugged and decided not to worry about it for now.

"Souta." I called from their doorway as he was finishing putting on his shoes, seems they had woken up already. Turning his attention to me, he waited for me to continue. "I'm going to make one last trip to the future to say goodbye, figured you might want to come. If so be ready, I'll be leaving once Inuyasha gets back."

"Okay onee-chan, be right out." he told me with a smile as he went back to tyeing his shoes. Heading back to my room, I quickly got dressed and headed back outside where I found Souta waiting.

"We'll be back soon, listen to the adults." I told the kids with a smile before Souta and I began walking over to the well just as Inuyasha had returned.

"It's safe." he told me and with a nod I reached up to take the rosary off of around his neck. Turning to Souta, I quickly put it around his neck, mentally reminding myself to not say sit.

"We'll be back in a couple of hours. Anything I should pick up while there?" I questioned as I turned to glance at everyone. Shouts of 'ramen', 'crayons', 'shampoo', and a host of others things could be hear at the same time. Laughing I said, "So a normal supply run then?" Everyone just nodded in reply. "Alright, see you guys in a bit."

Giving Inuyasha a quick nod, I turned and jumped into the well, the bright, blue light surrounding me instantaneously. Behind me I can hear Souta say goodbye as well before jumping in after me.

* * *

As I climbed out of the well, I turned back to help Souta up. Giving him a slight smile, I walked over to open the well house door and almost ran into Ayumi. 'Oops.' was my only thought as she looked a me strangely before glancing over at the well. "I was just in here a minute ago, Kagome-chan, how did you get in here?"

"Why don't we go inside and I'll explain." I told her with a smile as I started walking towards the house. Just as I was about to open the door, it opened to reveal my aunt standing there.

"It's time isn't it?" she questioned after glancing at Souta and I. Guess it's not too hard to figure out since I normally come back with Inuyasha or alone.

"Yes aunt Sakura." I told her with a smile and she moved out of the way so we could enter. Saying something about making tea, she headed back toward the kitchen. "Let's go sit in the front room." I decided as I began making my way toward the couch. Glancing over where my grandfather's chair used to be, I took a deep breath to prevent myself from crying and began telling Ayumi everything that had happened from the day I fell down the well to the present.

By the time my aunt walk back into the room, carrying a tray full of tea and snacks, Ayumi had been caught up entirely on the last four years of my life. "So all those times you stayed home from school sick?" she wondered after a moment.

"I was really back in the past, though I was never really sure why everyone bought all of the illnesses, some of them I wasn't enough old enough to get." I told her with a slight laugh.

"Yeah I thought some of them was weird, but I don't get it Kagome-chan, we are your friends, how come you never told us the truth? Didn't you trust us?" Ayumi questioned, the hurt evident in her voice.

"I trust you Ayumi, but truthfully I don't trust the other two not to gossip about it. You know how they can be. And if it was just about me, I would have told you in a second, but I had the others to worry about. And while I knew they couldn't use the well to get back into the past, what was to stop them from trying to capture Inuyasha and do experiments on him?"

"Okay, I guess I can understand that, but if that's the case, why are you telling me now?" Ayumi wondered, clearly confused.

"Like I said, Ayumi-chan, I do trust you and after today it won't matter. This is the last time I am coming back to this time."

"That's what your aunt meant by 'it's time'. But why can't you keep coming back?"

"You know the jewel I was telling you about?" I questioned and waited for her to nod before continuing, "That's what allows me to travel through time and we are about to wish it away. Once it's gone, I won't be able to go back into the past if I come back here and I decided I wanted to live out my life there."

"But how did Inuyasha and Souta get through the well?"

"This." I explained as I held up the rosary around Souta's neck. "This connects them to me and allows them to come through much like the jewel does for me."

"Well why not just use one of those yourself?" she questioned and I could tell she was just grasping a straws, anything to keep me being able to come back to visit.

"It won't work. It's hard to explain but think about it this way. Would it make any sense to connect myself with myself? That's pretty much what it would be doing and I can't take the chance of not being able to go back. I've got too many people depending on me back there and here has too many bad memories. Don't get me wrong Ayumi-chan, I'm really going to miss you and aunt Sakura, and as much as you want me here, they need me there more.

"They look to me as they leader, come to me for advise, trust my word above all else. Even though it is my fault their lives got screwed up so much. All because I shattered the jewel and even though they don't blame me for it, I still blame myself. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to them, if that's what it takes. But even this isn't what makes me stay there, I just belong there. I can't really explain it, you've just gotta trust that I made the right choice.

"There I can help make a difference. I can save lives, stop evil from destroying the world, heal the wounded, teach others to have more tolerance to those that are different. And maybe, just maybe, I can make enough difference so that for what ever reason there are no more demons in this time, gets changed. I truly believe that in order for the world to be in balance, they have to be here too. There are a lot of amazing demons I met in my travels and it kills me every time I come back here and I can't sense a single one.

"Inuyasha, Shippo, Kirara, Kouga, Sesshoumaru, Jinenji, Jaken and so many others, all gone. It's not fair, after everything they did, they risked, they gave up to save this ungrateful world, not a single word is spoken about them in the history books and they are long forgotten. Since I started going back and learned that demons were in fact real at one time, I began searching every history book I could find, even ones just on legions, there's not one single word about them.

"There's not even anything about Miroku or Sango, or any of the other humans I know. I refuse to allow them to be forgotten, to be wiped off the face of the earth as though they were never here to begin with. I will do what ever it takes to ensure the demons survive this time around and every day I write in my diary, so that this time they will not be forgotten. So I want you two to do me a favor, in one year from now, I want you to go down in the well. There will be a loose brick, in it will be my finished book, stories from over the years.

"If for some reason I am unable to keep them alive, I want you to make sure the world does not forget them. Does not forget everything they did to ensure this world did not fall to ruin." I told them passionately before reaching up to wipe the tear tracks from my cheeks. I breathed a sigh of relief once they had both nodded their heads.

"Why wait a year though? Wouldn't it be there already if you've already made the decision to do so?" Ayumi wondered confused.

"Time is a fickle thing." I told her laughing. "Some times it takes a while for it to catch up with itself. And since I will probably be changing a lot of the past, it may take some time for everything to fix itself. We should be heading out, I don't want Inuyasha to get worried since he can not come to get me. I'm going to miss you guys." I told them as the tears started in again and I stood up to embrace them.

* * *

Wiping the last few remaining tears off of my cheeks, I climbed out of the well, helping Souta up after me. Right away I could tells the others knew I had been crying, but I just waved off their worries. Saying goodbye to my aunt and Ayame had been hard, just like I knew it would. It's not easy leaving you life and family behind, even with knowing you would have a new one here.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to remove the rosary from around Souta's neck and placed it in one of my pockets. "You're not putting them back?" Inuyasha wondered confused. I couldn't help but smile at his confused expression.

"There's no point anymore anija-chan." I told him with a smile, which only served to confuse him even more. "You don't need them anymore to go back into the future after today." I explained as I removed my backpack and handed it over.

"But what if I transform again?" he wondered and around me I could see the others nodding their heads in agreement.

"I'm pretty sure your sword will prevent that now." I assured him, though the look he was giving me clearly stated he wasn't assured. "Remember what Totosai said? He told us the sword wasn't strong enough because it was using one of your fangs rather than your father's, but you're strong enough now Inuyasha. You've surpassed what you father wanted of you and besides we can just have Sesshoumaru knock you out if I'm wrong." I told him, laughing at his expression.

Hearing a slight snort from Sesshoumaru, I turned to him with a smile. "Ah don't worry Sesshoumaru, you surpassed what you father wanted a long time ago." I assured him, to which he raised one elegant eyebrow.

"Explain."

"When you were able to revive Rin with your sword, you became the great demon your father wanted you to be."

"I was merely testing the sword." he replied, not buying my explanation for a moment.

"You can tell yourself that all you want Sesshoumaru, it won't make it true. It may have been what you wanted to believe at the time, but your sword works like Inuyasha's does. It will only work when trying to protect or help humans. I know this because your father wanted you to learn compassion toward humans, that's why he gave you 'that' sword. The fact that it worked means, whether you know it or not, you wanted to help Rin."

"Alright kids, why don't you go play. It's time for the adults to have a meeting." I told them with a smile before I started heading toward the fire pit. As I sat down, I turned back to the others to find Jaken looking between the fire, where the others were now sitting down, and where the kids were playing. "Go play Jaken." I told him with a smile and laughed as he nodded before rushing off. Guess playing with the kids was the lesser of the two evils to him.

* * *

"Okay so we need to come up with a selfless wish to get rid of the jewel. Inuyasha brought up this morning that with the way the pack will be expanding soon and with the number of kids we already have with us, keeping it around is just asking for trouble."

"But won't you miss your friends and family on the other side, Kagome-chan?" Sango questioned, glancing over at Kagome with sympathy-filled eyes.

"Of course I will Sango-chan, but this needs to be done and they understand. I mean how long are you two going to put off having children? It won't be safe to do so until the jewel is gone." Kagome told her, smiling as the question caused her to blush and Miroku to smirk like the pervert he is.

"I have the perfect wish." Kikyou said after a moment, causing everyone to look over at her in question.

"It's not to turn Inuyasha human is it? Cause that wouldn't be selfless." Sango pointed out, casting a worried glance in Kikyou's direction.

"No, it's not to turn Inuyasha human. Or full demon for that matter." Kikyou replied casting a glance his way before turning back to Kagome. Sending a glance Inuyasha's way, Kagome waited until he nodded before turning back to Kikyou and handing her the Shikon no Tama.

Though she whispered too softly for any of the humans to hear, the demons heard her wish loud and clear, and even Sesshoumaru was hard pressed to stop the smile from forming on his face. "I wish that Kagome is able to find the happiness she has helped others to find."

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Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


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